Cocaine use by pregnant women has a variety of effects on the embryo and fetus, ranging from various gastro-intestinal and cardiac defects to tissue death from insufficient blood supply. Thus, cocaine has been termed a teratogen, or an agent that causes defects in fetuses during prenatal development. Cocaine is one of the most commonly used drugs in the US and it has a history of both medical and illegal recreational use. It is a drug capable of a wide array of effects on physical and mental health. Research on the teratogenic effects of cocaine began in the early 1980s, and in 1985 research on the effects of cocaine on prenatal development gained widespread attention. Since then, numerous studies have contributed to information about the detrimental impacts of maternal cocaine use on embryonic and fetal development.
Details
- Cocaine as a Teratogen
- Zhang, Mark (Author)
- Tantibanchachai, Chanapa (Author)
- Moeller, Karla T. (Editor)
- Arizona State University. School of Life Sciences. Center for Biology and Society. Embryo Project Encyclopedia. (Publisher)
- Arizona Board of Regents (Publisher)
- Cocaine
- Cocaine abuse
- Pregnancy
- Embryos
- fetus
- Teratogenic agents
- Human embryo
- Central Nervous System
- fetal development
- Fetal Growth
- Birth Defects
- Fetus--Abnormalities
- Embryology
- Cell differentiation
- Drug Abuse
- Illegal Drugs
- Teratogens
- Abnormalities, Drug-Induced
- Reproduction
- Cocaine Hydrochloride
- Crack Cocaine
- Concept
- Disorders
- Teratogenicity